The recent Gaza War has left thousands of wounded Israeli soldiers struggling with their injuries. An inordinate number of those injuries include trauma to the brain. While released statements claim around 400 diagnosed brain injuries from returning wounded soldiers, the actual estimate is much, much higher.

There have been studies that state at least 24,000 wounded Israeli soldiers have some level of brain injury, many of whom may not even know they are suffering from such an impact. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) sometimes manifests itself in the same manner as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), so many soldiers are incorrectly diagnosed. At Rabin Medical Center, Dr. Felix Benninger, Head, Epilepsy & EEG Unit, Department of Neurology, has been lobbying for more dedicated work on this type of injury.

Dr. Benninger is acutely concerned about this disconnect.

He stated, “The intersection of TBI and PTSD dramatically elevates suicide risk, - a growing public health crisis in Israel's post-conflict veteran population.”

The goal of Dr. Benninger is to create a dedicated TBI-PTSD Follow Up Clinic for war-injured soldiers at Rabin Medical Center. Funding for this clinic is critical in helping the hospital treat the tens of thousands of soldiers who currently have no place to turn. Rabin Medical Center, as one of Israel’s largest tertiary trauma centers with established neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry departments on a single campus, is uniquely positioned to fill this gap.

Rabin Medical Center is committed to supporting wounded from the moment they return home until they are fully recovered; or, if necessary, to support them for the rest of their lives as they slowly heal and recover.